Implant Dentistry

Benefits of Cosmetic Dental Care

Do your looks affect the way people treat you? Positive self-esteem - how we feel about ourselves - is very important to a healthy personality, to happiness, to the development of a positive attitude about life, and to achievement in the direction we choose.

It is well documented that people with a positive "feeling" about themselves do better in school, in business, and have closer, more meaningful relationships.

One measure of self-esteem is how you feel about your physical appearance; or, more importantly, how you feel you look to others. The complexion, teeth, and nose, in that order, are the highest "rated" facial features.

Self-image begins to develop about age four or five. At that age, identity influences other developing traits: social skills, verbal skills, intellect, and the ability to define oneself as a successful person. In other words, at age four or five a child makes a giant step toward "I'm OK, I'm a worthwhile person," or, conversely, toward "I'm not OK." The results can often affect the remainder of that person's life.

Beauty is often more than skin deep, because the psychological damage to a person who feels unattractive can be devastating. Then there's the other side of the coin. Does how we look affect how others treat us?

Indeed. Studies have shown that good-looking people are given the benefit of the doubt over unattractive people. They're thought to be more intelligent, more likeable, higher achievers, honest, and braver than the unattractive. Even school teachers spend more time with attractive students!

Your mouth is important to your total psychological and physical well-being. Is it worth regular dental cleaning and cosmetic dental care? Is visiting your cosmetic dentist and having your broken teeth restored with beautiful dental crowns worth it? Is straightening crooked teeth with braces worth it? We think you'll probably agree, you and your family are definitely worth it!

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.

How Aesthetic Dentistry Can Enhance Your Appearance

The color, size, and shape of your teeth all have a profound impact on your appearance. While it is often the desire of people to improve the look of their smiles, it should be the goal of aesthetic dentistry, or cosmetic dentistry, to do this while still maintaining a "natural" appearance of the teeth. This often requires addressing one or all of the above-mentioned criteria. How is it that alterations in these three characteristics enhance your smile?

Color of Your Teeth

Tooth color is most commonly what people see first. As you get older, your teeth get darker. The reasons for this include normal changes that occur within the tooth and repeated insults from environmental conditions (coffee or tea stains, for example). Generally, then, darker teeth are associated with older age. The easiest way that cosmetic dentistry can correct this is by teeth bleaching. But this alone may not entirely create a natural-looking appearance.

Size and Shape of Your Teeth

Size and shape also are major factors that define the appearance of teeth. The most common cause of changing tooth size and shape over time is tooth wear; and the most common cause of wear is tooth-to-tooth contact, or grinding. Wear on the edges of the teeth can give the appearance of aging because you do not show as much of your teeth when you smile. Another factor that affects how much of your teeth show when you smile is the loss of skin tone as you age.

This loss of tone causes your face to sag, thereby showing less of your upper teeth and more of your lower teeth. The aesthetic dentistry treatment to enable more teeth to show when you smile will depend on the cause. If the cause is due to wear of the teeth, dental veneers or dental crowns can be used to regain the lost length and fill out the smile. On the other hand, this may not have a significant effect if the cause is due to the loss of skin tone associated with age. If this is the case, plastic surgery may be indicated as part of the treatment.

Wear on teeth also will make the edges of the front teeth very flat. As this occurs, the edges of the front teeth will form a straight line rather than the more youthful appearance when the two front teeth are slightly longer than the teeth next to them. Also, as they wear, the proportion of length to width will be altered. Teeth will start to appear more square in their shape rather than rectangular.

Basically, any treatment that counteracts the above-mentioned appearance changes has the ability to enhance the appearance of your teeth and smile. The aesthetic dentistry treatment can vary from teeth bleaching to dental crowns or dental veneers. Depending on the severity, other forms of treatment such as braces and gum surgery also may be indicated to enhance the appearance and function of your teeth. It is important to remember that all areas need to be addressed. If treatment for teeth that are worn and dark only involves teeth bleaching, the final result will be whiter teeth that are still worn and short. The teeth will not appear natural, as there will be a conflict between white teeth (youthful) and worn teeth (aged) that do not work together. Instead, it is necessary to correct the color, size, and shape to create a more natural appearance.

By Greggory Kinzer, DDS, MSD

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.